Due to technological advances, the need for higher speed circuitries in printed circuit boards (PCBs) have arisen, in turn giving rise to the need for higher speed digital signal transmissions. If not properly implemented, the reduction in the rise and fall time of high-frequency digital signals propagating within the PCB may lead to a compromise in signal integrity, for example cross-talk noise and signal distortions due to impedance mismatch. As the clock frequency of the signal increases, more energy is distributed over the higher frequency spectrum which consequently creates a greater demand for a larger bandwidth.
At low frequencies, a signal path on a PCB may be represented electrically as a lumped network of series resistances and shunt capacitances. However, as the frequency is increased, this approach of lumped circuit modeling breaks down, and signal paths must be regarded as transmission lines. The commonly used PCB transmission line structures are microstrip, embedded microstrip, stripline and dual striplines. The microstrip configuration simply refers to the case where the conductor is separated from a reference plane, either ground or power, by a dielectric. The stripline configuration, on the other hand, has reference planes above and below the conductor. A typical multilayer PCB of more than two signal layers, then, may have both stripline and microstrip geometries.
As defined herein, the present invention is directed at reducing and substantially eliminating cross-talk noise between conductive layers in a multilayered PCB. Crosstalk, as is known, is a category of noise induced primarily by the electromagnetic coupling between signal lines. In PCBs, crosstalk can occur by the electrical coupling between relatively closely spaced signal traces (lines). Crosstalk decreases noise margins and degrades signal quality. This, of course, can be a major limiting factor in communication systems performance. Crosstalk increases with longer trace coupling distances, smaller separation between traces, shorter pulse rise and fall times, larger magnitude currents or voltages being switched.
Two types of signal coupling determine the amount of crosstalk in a circuit: inductive coupling and capacitive coupling. These two types of coupling decrease with increasing distance between source and receiver. Most crosstalk can be attributed to adjacent wires. Because parallel and adjacent wires on a PCB layer interact both capacitively and inductively, the distance over which adjacent wires are parallel needs to be carefully controlled. To minimize crosstalk, some high frequency designs incorporate ground planes under each signal layer, which have proven to virtually eliminate the crosstalk. Ideally, then, crosstalk between neighboring signals can be reduced by maximizing signal-to-signal spacing and by minimizing signal-to-ground distances.
These factors, plus a host of others, contain many interdependencies and are often at odds with one another. For example, high wiring density is required to minimize interconnect delays as well as size, cost and weight. However, as signal lines are placed closer together, their mutual coupling increases, with a corresponding rise in crosstalk levels.
Therefore, the design of PCBs has become quite a challenging task, especially when designing high-performance and high-density boards. Most significantly, electromagnetic coupling between the interconnects (signal traces) is one factor that sets the upper limit to the interconnect density.
In one multilayered PCB, the board includes a first layer having an electrically conductive plane for electrical connection to a common armature contact of a relay, the electrically conductive plane being sized to substantially cover a mounting footprint of the relay. This PCB also includes a second layer parallel to and electrically separate from said first layer, the second layer having an electrically conducting first section for electrical connection to a normally-open contact of the relay and an electrically conducting second section for electrical connection to a normally-closed contact of the relay, the first and said second sections being electrically separate from each other and in combination with each other being planar and sized to substantially cover the mounting footprint of the relay.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,529,229, first and second clock signal lines are preferably mutually adjacent, and preferably weave around electrode pads and/or wiring patterns used to interconnect the driver ICs. The preferred even-odd variation of the interconnections between the driver integrated circuits (ICs) and the clock signal lines facilitates the mutually adjacent weaving layout of the clock signal lines, which improves their noise immunity. The clock signal lines preferably include in-line electrode pads to which the clock input terminals of the driver ICs are coupled. The in-line electrode pads reduce reflection of the clock signals because they avoid characteristic-impedance discontinuities.
When coupling semiconductor devices (integrated circuits or chips), including those of the multi-mode variety (analog and digital) onto PCBs, various attempts have been utilized to reduce noise generation and the associated problems. One attempt to solve the noise problem involves the addition of decoupling capacitors placed near the active devices. The decoupling capacitors stabilize the current flowing to these devices. However, while the capacitor absorbs some of the voltage, a spike still occurs.
Yet another attempt to manage switching noise in multi- or mixed-mode structures involve partitioning analog and digital functions. This process requires unique manufacturing processes and custom designs. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,020,614 suggests that noise can be reduced by establishing boundary zones between the analog and digital circuits of a semiconductor substrate with the analog circuit having a separate power supply bus from the digital circuit. Further, this patent mentions providing interconnect signal lines such that the isolated wires between the circuits may functionally interact with other circuits while the substrate noise coupling from other circuits remains low. However, spacing the analog components from the digital components can waste precious semiconductor space, which is an important consideration in integrated circuit (and PCB) design.
Still another attempt to resolve switching noise problems in a multi-mode structure is addressed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,160. This patent suggests that the noise can be reduced by shaping the noise from the digital circuit and concentrating it in a single or a small number of parts of the frequency spectrum. This solution relies on the concept that the presence of noise in the analog circuit is less important at certain frequencies, and therefore the spectral peak or peaks from the digital circuit can be carefully placed to result in little or no interference.
Still further approaches for arranging transmission lines on microwave circuit structures are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,429,752, 6,429,757 and 6,522,214.
Finally, in U.S. Pat.No. 5,031,073, there is described a PCB in which the board's circuitry is partitioned into a plurality of circuit regions which are selectively isolated with respect to input and output signals. Signal lines in one region are arranged in a closely spaced array aligned with, but spaced from, a corresponding array in an adjacent region.
Other examples of various PCB multilayered structures are shown and described in U.S. Published Patent Applications US2002/0108780 A1, US 2002/0148637 A1 and US 2002/0100613 A1, the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference, as are the teachings of the other documents cited in this Background.
As defined hereinbelow, the present invention defines a new and unique PCB design in which cross-talk is substantially eliminated between conductive layers while permitting high speed signal passage across various signal planes in the final structure. Such a PCB design as taught herein, is of simpler construction and operates more expeditiously than many of those described above, is relatively less expensive to manufacture than same, and thus represents a significant advancement in the PCB art.